Tag Archives: hair

Are you curious about going natural, but fear the Big Chop? Do you want to reconnect with your natural texture without losing length? Luckily, you can transition from relaxed to natural hair without cutting it all off! With a little time and patience, you can grow out your relaxed hair to reveal your natural texture. But in case that’s the route you decide to go check out my blog on the big chop.

Here are six easy tips for transitioning naturally – without a drastic cut!

Be realistic

Going natural is exciting and chances are you’d love to see quick results. But the reality is that is involves a little patience. Stick to your plan for 4 months and then you’ll be seeing some results. After one year, you’ll be 100% natural beauty!

Get excited about a transitioning style

With your roots being very different from your ends, it will help you immensely to find some transitioning hairstyles that make you excited. Try a bantu knot out or the twist out or great in-between style.

Detangle with care

Never try to detangle dry hair. Detangle when your hair is wet and supple with conditioner. Use a wide toothed comb and go slow, working from bottom to top.

Stick to a shampoo and conditioner schedule

Depending on your oil levels, you’ll have to cleanse your scalp every few day to every once a week or whatever fits your lifestyle. Experiment to see what works for you. After you’ve cleansed, follow-up with a deep-moisturizing conditioner or hair mask. Synergi has the best Deep conditioner best used under a steamer. Quench 2.o it takes adding moisture to your hair to a new level. www.synergisalon.com

Good luck! While transitioning your hair from chemical relaxer to natural can seem like a long process, the results are well worth it. It will be no time before you’ll be embracing your natural hair, and wishing you’d made the switch years ago.

In honor of Black History Month, I am going to share some facts about African American hair throughout history. During this month, we tend to focus on popular leaders and activists, the civil rights movement, and slavery. Very little of what we learn is about the popular fashion or the beauty standards in the African American communities of those periods. Just like other forms of art, hairstyles have always served as a representation of contemporary political and social themes. Looking at the popular hairstyles, styling methods, and social opinions of African American hair throughout history, can reveal a unique perspective on our past. So, I’ll be posting information specific to this topic throughout this month. See below for the first fact.

Fact #1: One of the first things slave traders did to those in bondage was shave their heads. This was done to immediately shame and dehumanize their captives. Africans held great pride for their hair. In many African tribes, hairstyles were used to communicate the age, religion, marital status, and wealth of its wearer. A large amount of time was spent, grooming, combing, washing, oiling, and braiding the hair for greater health and length. Hair was considered art with various styles and adornments such as flowers, shells, and features.

Hair held great spiritual significance to African people. Some even believed that since the hair is located on the highest point of the body, it is closest to the heavens, therefore messages from the gods and spirits must pass through the hair to get to the soul. Thus, African hair in its natural state was respected, worshipped, and treasured. To take away such an important part of one’s identity, by shaving their heads, served as an effective way to disgrace and humiliate those in bondage.

The most important thing I have ever lost was my pride and love for my natural beauty, especially my hair. Somewhere along the way, I lost my sense of value and admiration for my strands. With all the media messages that told me I didn’t have “good hair,” all the times my Mother ripped my hair out with a rat-tail comb and said it just wasn’t “manageable,” to all the hair relaxers that left me with sore spots on my scalp, it is time for change.

I figured the best place to start that change was both within myself, and through learning about my history. Specifically, the history of how African American hair has been represented both politically and socially in America. This blog is a documentation of my journey towards rediscovering my natural beauty and my history. I am on the path towards reclaiming myself and understanding the current state of African American hair. I can’t wait to share what I’m learning and experiencing. I hope you will join me and enjoy the ride.